Scary Snowman Pranks Unsuspecting Shoppers

But there are a few things people do which typically make me laugh immediately:

Tripping/Falling in public. There is nothing funnier that a slip on the ice on the Target parking lot or the accidental stubbing of a toe. The closer you are to the person, the funnier.

The “sudden fear” prank is another.

I give you this glorious, holiday induced exhibit A.

Freaky, Frosty the Snowman’s evil twin, has been at it since 2011, racking up more than 90 million views on their YouTube channel which has nearly a half-million subscribers.

Freaky Snowman’s modus operandi is to set up on a busy street, typically in a shopping area, and wait for the requisite random encounter.

The pranksters recently filmed on Newbury Street in Boston, scaring shoppers and innocent bystanders alike–some, as you’ll see, more than others.

Jay Lichtenberger, one of the Scary Snowman masterminds explains the setup process for the prank.

There are many factors that go into making this prank happen. First thing we have to do is find a decent spot to park to set up the camera where there will be nothing blocking the view. This is a lot easier with three people because then it allows us to set up without having to lock the camera in the truck. After we find a spot I place the wireless mic and snowman cam (Kodak zi8) in the head. Then I go ahead and put a fresh carrot on. At this point I call Brian’s cell phone and through a bluetooth earpiece Brian and I can communicate. Next I take the bottom part of the costume and help Brian get into it. After that I place the head on. Brain gets into position and I recheck the camera and audio levels to be sure everything is framed up and sounding good.

Brian’s hearing and sight are limited, so when a person is coming from behind I can tell him whats going on and when to turn, or not to turn depending on the person. We trust our great judge of character when choosing who to make a move on. [Let’s] be real, we do not want anyone to have a heart attack on our behalf. After we get a great reaction I chase the person down to ask permission to put them in the video. Sometimes while this is happening Brian has already scared someone else and I miss the chance to get that person’s permission. So you may see some blurred faces here and there.

We average about 10-15 great reactions an hour with a lot of not so great reactions in between. Sometimes large crowds gather for picture ops or to just watch and laugh as others get ripped by Freaky. Sometimes I wish there were more hands on the crew to get these cool moments on video. Nonetheless the show must go on.

And so it does.

WARNING: There is some “salty” language here. Just think about what you might say under the circumstances and you’ll understand.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I have to say, not having to wear a suit & tie every day is awesome. I've always felt a relaxed dress code is one of the keys to a happy and productive shop!
Seriously though, I really enjoy and...